Purpose

Practitionershavereported success in helpingpatientswithacuteandchronicillnesses,fromasthmaandarthritis to traumaandrecoveryfrom surgery.Reiki is a gentleandsafetechnique,andhasbeenusedsuccessfully in somehospitals. It hasbeenfound to beverycalmingandreassuringforthosesufferingfromsevere or fatalconditions.Reikicanbeenused by doctors,nurses, psychologistsandotherhealthprofessionals to bringtouchanddeepercaringintotheirhealingpractices.

Description

Origins

Reikiwasdeveloped in themid-1800s by Dr.MikaoUsui, a Japanesescholar of religion.According to thestorythathas beenpasseddownamongreikiteachers,Usuiwas a Christianwhowasintrigued by theideathatChristcouldhealsick people by touchingthemwithhishands.Searchingforcluesthatwouldexplainthesecrets of healingwithhands,Usui made a longpilgrimagearoundtheworld,visitingmanyancientreligioussectsandstudyingancientbooks.Somereiki teachersclaimthatUsuifoundcluesleadingbacknearly10,000years to healingartsthatoriginated in ancientTibet. Duringhisintensestudies,Usuiclaimed he had a spiritualexperience,whichenabledhim to healwithhisownhands by becomingaware of andtappingintotheuniversallifeforce.Afterthat, he dedicatedhislife to helpingthesickandpoor.Hisreputationgrew as he healedsickpeopleformanyyears in Kyoto,Japan.Beforehisdeath,Usuipassed on his healinginsightsusinguniversallifeenergy to Dr.ChujiruHayashi, a closeacquaintance.Hayashi, in turn,passed on the healingtechniques in 1938 to HawayoTakata, a JapanesewomanfromHawaii,whom he hadcured of life-threatening illnessusingreikimethods.Takatabecame a firmbelieverandproponent of reiki,andduringthe1970sformed an initiationprogramfortrainingreikimasters to preserveUsui’steachings.Beforeshedied,shepreparedher grand daughter,PhyllisLeiFurumoto, to continuethelineage.Takatahadpersonallytrained 21 practitionersbeforeshe died at theage of 80 in 1980.Alongwithotherreikimastersauthorized by Takata,FurumotoformedthereikiAlliance. Afactionled by BarbaraRay,formedtheAmericanReikiAssociation,whichwasknown as RadianceTechniqueAssociation International.Today,thereareover1,000reikimasterspracticingaroundtheworld,whosemethodscanall be traced backdirectly to Dr.Usui.

The basic philosophy of reiki

Thebasicconceptunderlyingreiki is thatthebodyhas an energyfieldthat is central to itshealthandproperfunctioning, andthisenergytravels in certainpathwaysthatcanbecomeblocked or weakened.Thisidea of energyflow in thebody isalso a centralconcept in Ayurvedic medicineandtraditional Chinese medicine, includingacupuncture.

Reikipractitionersbelievethateveryonehasthepotential to accesstheuniversallifeenergy,butthatovertimemost people’ssystemsbecomeblockedandtheenergybecomesweakened in them. A reikipractitioner is trained to be able to detecttheseblockages,andpractitionerswillusetheirhands,thoughts,andownenergyfields to improvetheenergyflow in a patient.Reiki is one of themoreesotericalternativemedicalpractices,because no one is sureexactlyhow it works on thephysiologicallevel.Practitionersclaimthat it works on verysubtleenergylevels, or possiblyworks on thechakra system.Thechakrasarethesystem of sevenenergycentersalongthemiddle of thebodybelieved to be connectedwith thenervousandendocrinesystems, as defined by yogaandAyurvedicmedicine.Reikimastersclaimthathealingenergy caneven be sent to a personfromfaraway,notingthatreikiworks on thesameprinciplesthatenablespraying to workfor somepatients,although a practitionerneedsadvancedtraining to be able to sendenergyfromafar.

According to theoriginalprinciples of Usui,patientsmustalsohave a properattitudeforreiki to workmosteffectively. Patientsmusttakeresponsibilityfortheirownhealth,andmustwant to be healed.Further more,whenenergy is received from a reikihealer,patientsmust be willing to givebackenergy to others,and to compensatethehealer in someway, as well.Finally,Usuiclaimedthat a healingattitudewasfreefromworryandfear,wasfilledwithgratitudeforlifeandfor others,andplacedemphasis on eachpersonfindinghonestandmeaningfulwork in theirlives—allthis, in order to completethepicture of overallhealth.

A reiki session

Reikisessionscantakevariousforms,butmostcommonlyresembletypicalbodyworkappointments,wherethereceiver liesclothed on his or herback on a flatsurface or massagetable. A sessiongenerallylastsfrom an hour to an hourand a half.Reiki is a simpleprocedure,consisting of calmandconcentratedtouching,withthepractitionerfocusing on healing andgivingenergy to specificareas on thereceiver’sbody.Practitionersplacetheirhandsoverpositions on thebody wheretheorgansandendocrineglandsreside,andtheareasthatcorrespond to thechakracenters.Practitionersalsousementalvisualization to sendhealingenergy to areas of thereceiver’sbodythatneedit. In specialcases or with injuries, a no-touchtechnique is used,wherethepractitioner’shandsaresometimesheldjustabovethebodywithout touchingit.Advancedpractitionersrely on intuitionandexperience to determinewhichareas of a bodyneedthemost energyhealing.

Thepractitioner’shandsareheldflatagainstthereceiver’sbody,withthefinger tipstouching.Therecan be over 20 positions on bothsides of thebodywherethehandsareplaced.Thepositionsbegin at thecrown of theheadandmove towardsthefeet.Thereceiverusuallyturnsoveronceduringthesession.Thepractitioner’shandsareheld in each positionfor a usuallyfiveminutes, to allowthetransfer of energyandthehealingprocess to takeplace. In eachposition,thehandsarekeptstationary,unliketypicalmassagewherethehandsmove,andboththegiverandreceiverattempt tomaintain an attitude of awareness,openness,andcaring.

Reikipractitionersrecommendthatthosereceivingreikiforthefirsttime go through a series of three to fourinitial treatmentsoverthecourse of about a week, to allowforcleansingandtheinitialreadjustment of energy.

Self-treatment with reiki

Althoughreikipractitionersbelievethatformaltraining is necessary to learnthepropermethods of energychannelingand healing,individualscanstillusesome of thebasicpositions of reiki to relievestressand to stimulatehealing on themselves or another.Thepositionscan be performedanywhereandforhoweverlongtheyareneeded.Positions generallymovefromthetop of thebodydown,butpositionscan be usedwhereverthere is pain or stress.Mentalattitude is importantduringreiki;themindshould be cleared of allstressfulthoughtsandconcentrated on compassion,love,and peace as forms of energythataresurrounding,entering,andhealingthebody.

Thefollowingpositionsareillustrated in Reiki:EnergyMedicine:

Positionone:Handsareplaced on thetop of thehead,withthewristsneartheearsandthefingertipstouching on the crown of thehead.Eyesshould be closed.Holdforfiveminutes or more,untilthemindfeelsclearandcalm.

Positiontwo:Cupthehandsslightlyandplacethepalmsovertheclosedeyes,withthefingersresting on the forehead.

Positionthree:Placethehands on thesides of thehead,withthethumbsbehindtheearandthepalmsoverthelower jaws,withthefingerscoveringthetemples.

Positionfour:Placeonehand on theback of theneck, at thebase of theskull,andputtheotherhand on theheadjust aboveit,parallel to it.

Positionfive:Wrapthehandsaroundthefront of thethroat,andrestthemtheregentlywiththeheels of thehands touching in front.

Positionsix:Placeeachhand on top of a shoulder,close to theside of neck, on top of thetrapeziusmuscle.

Positionseven:Form a T-shapewiththehandsoverthechest,withthelefthandcoveringtheheartandtherighthand aboveit,coveringtheupperpart of thechest.

Positioneight:Thehandsareplacedflatagainstthefront of thebodywithfinger tipstouching.Holdforfiveminutes or so,andrepeatfour or fivetimes,movingdown a hand-widtheachtimeuntilthepelvicregion is reached,which is coveredwith a v-shape of thehands.Then,forthefinalposition,repeatthistechnique on theback,beginning as close to theshoulders as thehandscanreach,andending by forming a T-shapewiththehands at thebase of thespine.

Side effects

Reikigenerallyhas no sideeffects, as it is a verylowimpactandgentleprocedure.Somereceiversreporttingling orsensations of heat or coldduringtreatment.Othershavereportedsadness or anxietyduringtreatment,which practitionersclaimareburied or repressedemotionsbeingreleased by thenewenergyflow.

Research and general acceptance

Reikihasbeenused in majorclinicsandhospitals as part of alternativehealingpractice,anddoctors,dentists,nurses andotherhealthprofessionalshavebeentrained to useitsgentletouchtechniques as part of theirpractice. To date,the littlescientificresearchthathasbeenconductedwithreikiimpliesthatitstechniquesbringabouttherelaxationresponse,in whichstresslevelsdecrease,andimmuneresponseincreases.Reikipractitionersclaimthatthemostimportant measurement of theirtechnique is whethertheindividualfeelsbetteraftertreatment.Theyalsoclaimthatsciencecannot measurethesubtleenergychangesthattheyareattempting to bringabout.

As of theearly2000s,therearedifferences of opinionwithinthemainstreammedicalcommunityregardingthe acceptability of reiki. On theonehand,medicalprofessionals in Canadahaveproposedstrategies to limitthepopularity of reiki as well as severalotheralternativetherapies by resistingtheintegration of thesetherapieswithmainstream treatmentsand by opposinggovernmentresearch in complementaryandalternativemedicine. On theotherhand,the U.S. NationalCenterforComplementaryandAlternativeMedicine(NCCAM) is conducting a series of clinicaltrials toevaluatetheefficacy of reiki. As of thesummer of 2004,therearefourNCCAMtrialsforreiki,measuringitseffectiveness in treatingsuchdisorders as fibromyalgia, neuropathy,prostate cancer, andadvancedAIDS.

Training and certification

Reikipractitionersundergo a series of attunements, whicharesessionswithreikimastersthatteachthebasicmethods ofenergyhealing.Severalorganizationsprovideresourcesforreikitraining.Reikipractitionersbelievetheseattunements arenecessaryforcorrecttechnique.Themastersteacheachpersonhow to activatetheuniversallifeenergy inthemselvesbeforetheycanpass it on to others.Theseinitiationsoftenareheldduringweekendworkshops.Traineescan achieve up to fourlevels of attunements,untiltheyreachthelevel of masterthemselves.Thecertificationprocess is not a formalone;mastersapprovestudentswhentheyfeelsatisfiedwiththeirprogress.